</a> The elephant in the room this morning is the recent discovery of top White House Staffer and son-in-law, Jared Kushner's (alleged) efforts to establish back channel communications with known spy recruiter and Russian Ambassador, Sergey Kislyak. Naturally, the once-surging Santorum carried water for the (alleged) abhorrent actions of First Lady-Daughter Ivanka's dear husband. Former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm was dumbstruck by Santorum's defense of this clearly historic level of malevolent intent to cozy up to a hostile foreign adversary like Russia! DANA BASH: Kushner is now the focus.
Rick Santorum: Courts Will Approve Trump's Muslim Ban Because His Saudi Speech Praised Islam. Rick Santorum: ‘Millions of Americans’ with preexisting conditions are scammers stealing health care.

‘This is fake news’: Rick Santorum melts down on CNN and blames Obama for anti-Semitism under Trump. CNN conservative contributor Rick Santorum on Tuesday suggested that President Barack Obama was to blame for rising number of anti-Semitic crimes under President Donald Trump.

Although Ivanka Trump recently called for “religious tolerance” following attacks on Jewish centers and gravesites, President Trump has said little about the rise in anti-Semitism. On Tuesday, Santorum deflected to the Obama administration when CNN host Chris Cuomo asked him why Trump had not called out the alleged hate crimes. “Let’s look at the president’s record and compare it with what we’ve seen in the last eight years,” Santorum opined. “Number one, the president has stood by Israel in ways that President Obama has not, and stood very solidly with the state of Israel.” “I’ve got to tell you, Chris, this is why you hear about fake news,” the former GOP presidential candidate continued, raising his voice. “It’s an outrage you guys are pointing to this 30 days in, and for eight years you ignored that story!”
‘We’re not normalizing ignorant behavior’: CNN panel explodes after Santorum defends Trump attack on Lewis.

A CNN panel taking up the on-going battle between President-elect Donald Trump and Rep.

John Lewis (D-GA) took an ugly turn when ex-Senator Rick Santorum went after the civil rights hero. Appearing on CNN’s Erin Burnett Outfront, long-time presidential adviser David Gergen addressed Trump’s tweets attacking Lewis and then slammed Trump after admitting he didn’t necessarily agree with Lewis’s comments about Trump’s legitimacy as president. “The president of the United States is elected under a spirit of generosity and the spirit of the country in which we come together,” Gergen explained.

“This is the week to do that and when he responded in kind, against — look, we have very few heroes in this country. John Lewis is one of them and it is not correct to say that Donald Trump was not insulting to him in his tweets.
Rick Santorum Tells DREAMer Who Became Engineer to Go Somewhere Else. DREAMers are young people who were brought to America as children by their parents.

Their parents came here illegally, so they did, too; they had no choice in the matter. They have lived in the U.S. almost their entire lives—in many cases, it's the only home they know. They've grown up here, gone to high school here, and graduated from college and found jobs here. But they're undocumented, and with the election of Donald Trump, their future hangs in the balance.
Santorum Took An Online Quiz And Aligned More With Rubio Than Himself. Rick Santorum confirms end of 2016 presidential campaign and endorses Marco Rubio. Bill Maher Calls Out Rick Santorum On Climate Change. You’ll never be able to un-see this Rick Santorum GIF. (Update: Evidently, this GIF is not from the undercard debate, but given Santorum’s performance tonight, we can all agree about its timelessness.)

Debate coaches study their pupils’ demeanor as much as they stage-manage their message, offering tips as to how to make points more forcefully and encouraging them to avoid certain physical tics that might undermine their message. For example, when I debated in high school, my coach noticed that when I wanted to be vehement, I would bring my right hand to my chest, palm down, and thrust it out in a manner that veered a little too close a Nazi salute.
“You’re fundamentally wrong on civics”: Rachel Maddow schools Rick Santorum on the Constitution. On Wednesday night’s episode of “The Rachel Maddow Show,” former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum sat down with Rachel Maddow to discuss same-sex marriage and its impact on America, and though the conversation began cordially — Maddow complimented him on his ability to articulate conservative positions, Santorum complimented her for not resorting to personal attacks — it quickly became heated as they debated the finer points of constitutional law.

Santorum told Maddow that the Supreme Court overstepped its authority with its ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, saying that the Court “is not the superior branch of government.” He added that Congress could pass a law banning same-sex marriage. Maddow informed him that it couldn’t, but he insisted that “it’s clear from our founding documents, that the Congress has a right to say what’s constitutional. The president has a right to say what’s constitutional.
Rick Santorum: Court ruling on marriage equality proves me right about ‘man on dog’
Two-time presidential candidate and former U.S. senator Rick Santorum is perhaps best-known for two things – an unfortunate Internet neologism that made his name synonymous with a byproduct of anal sex and his bizarre comments about “man on dog” relationships.

Santorum, who’s running again for the Republican presidential nomination, unsuccessfully lobbied Google to alter search results involving his name – but he thinks he was vindicated in his warning against bestiality, reported Right Wing Watch. He first made the comparison in 2003, shortly before the U.S. Supreme Court struck down state bans on sodomy, saying such laws against consensual sex were necessary to prevent non-consensual sex. “In every society, the definition of marriage has not ever to my knowledge included homosexuality,” Santorum said at the time.

Rick Santorum: All undocumented immigrants ‘obviously are coming with a bad intent’
Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum declared over the weekend that all undocumented immigrants had “bad intent” when they came into the United States.

Speaking to CBS host John Dickerson on Sunday, Santorum said that he disagreed with Donald Trump’s assertion that Mexico was sending “rapists” across the border. “The vast majority of people coming legally from Mexico and other places are people who want to do the right thing,” Santorum observed. “People who are coming illegally obviously are coming with a bad intent. Let’s just be honest, they coming with the clear intent of breaking the law.”
Rick Santorum: Redirect global warming effort to fighting gay marriage ‘for the survival of our country’

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum argued over the weekend that President Barack Obama should redirect the energy that he has been putting into fighting climate change into promoting heterosexual marriages “for the survival of our county.”

In an interview on Sunday, Santorum told the hosts of Fox & Friends that the U.S. Congress should pass laws to require Supreme Court justices to face elections and to force them to “take all appeals” because of their ruling that effectively legalized marriage for same-sex couples. “The better solution if you’re going to put effort into try to control the judiciary is by doing things that limits their jurisdiction or requires, for example, the Supreme Court to take all appeals,” he explained.
Rick Santorum Tries To Explain Why He Can Weigh In On Climate Change But Pope Shouldn't. WASHINGTON -- Former Sen.

Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) attempted to argue Sunday that it's more appropriate for him to be weighing in on climate change than it is for Pope Francis, who is not only a religious leader but also a chemist. In the coming weeks, the pope is expected to release a groundbreaking encyclical -- a papal letter sent to all the bishops of the Roman Catholic Church -- making the case that addressing climate change and its affects on the poor is a moral and religious imperative. Santorum, a potential GOP presidential candidate and a practicing Catholic, criticized the pope last week surrounding the news. "I think that we probably are better off leaving science to the scientists and focusing on what we're really good at, which is theology and morality," he said.

In an interview on "Fox News Sunday," Santorum attempted to defend his remarks. "I guess the question would be, if he shouldn't talk about it, should you?
"
Candidate Profile: Rick Santorum - The Onion - America's Finest News Source. Rick Santorum Wants Pope Francis To Stop Talking About Climate Change. Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum says he loves Pope Francis, but he wants the pontiff to stop talking about climate change. Santorum, a devout Catholic, told Philadelphia radio host Dom Giordano on Monday that the pope should "leave science to the scientists.

" His comments come as the pope, who earned a master's degree in chemistry before turning to the priesthood, becomes increasingly vocal about climate change. Pope Francis is preparing a groundbreaking encyclical to be released in the coming weeks that's expected to make the case that taking action to fight climate change is a moral and religious imperative. Santorum described himself as a "huge fan" of the pope and said he appreciates the pontiff's commitment to family issues, but he wants the church to stay out of science. His full comments from "The Dom Giordano Show" are included below. (Story continues below audio.) Despite his pleas to the pope, Santorum has a history of rejecting established science.

(h/t Raw Story)
10 Completely Vile Things Rick Santorum Has Said. Former Republican senator and known right-wing extremist Rick Santorum is officially running for president again, and this time around he's trying to be a voice for America's "working families.
" That might sound downright wholesome to someone who doesn't know what he actually believes. Here are some of the White House hopeful's most revealing comments from over the years: 1.
Rick Santorum Will Fight The Supreme Court If It Legalizes Gay Marriage.

Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum said on Sunday that if the Supreme Court legalizes gay marriage later this year, he would dispute the decision, saying that the court "doesn't have the final word.
" "Of course I'd fight it," he said on NBC's "Meet the Press.
" "Roe versus Wade was decided 30 some years ago, and I continue to fight that, because I think the court got it wrong. And I think if the court decides this case in error, I will continue to fight, as we have on the issue of life ... We're not bound by what nine people say in perpetuity.
" Santorum justified his stance by arguing that the executive and legislative branches are obligated to challenge the judicial branch.
Rick Santorum To Announce He's Running For President In 2016. Former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) will announce Wednesday that he is running for president in 2016, ABC and the Wall Street Journal report.

Santorum will make the announcement in Butler, Pennsylvania, where he grew up. It's the second presidential campaign for Santorum, who also sought the GOP nomination in 2012. He won 11 primaries during that race.
Rick Santorum blames Christianity’s decline on lack of anti-abortion zealots running for president. Likely Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum said this week that other GOP candidates were not fanatical enough about opposing abortion, and that’s why Christianity was on the decline in the United States. Speaking at Cornerstone Action’s 15th Anniversary Dinner in New Hampshire on Tuesday, the former Pennsylvania senator noted that a recent Pew Center survey found that the number of non-religious Americans was surging while fewer and fewer people were identifying as Christians.

Santorum explained that reporters asked him more questions on abortion than any other Republican candidate. “They have the exact same position as I do,” he insisted. “Every single one of them, I’m sure if you asked them, would say they have the exact same — maybe a rape or incest exception here or there — but almost all of them are pretty strong down the line pro-life.”
Rick Santorum: If Bruce Jenner 'Says He's A Woman, Then He's A Woman'
Rick Santorum tells CNN: Climate Change is real — but ‘of course, do nothing’
7 worst right-wing moments of the week — Fox News melts down over “Colbert” finale. 1. Antonin Scalia: Torturing convicts is a no-go, but torturing suspects is A-OK. Supreme Court justice Antonin Scalia was asked this week by the BBC about the CIA’s fully exposed use of torture in the years after the 9/11 attacks, and he found, shall we say, some rather interesting hairs to split.

“We have laws against torture,” Scalia said.
Rick Santorum: Hispanics will be hurt the most by Obama’s immigration reform. Rick Santorum Claims Anti-Gay Business Owners Are Being Sent To 'Re-Education Camps'
Former Sen.
Rick Santorum: Uninsured people are deadbeats and ‘won’t make a payment’ for Obamacare. By David EdwardsSunday, March 30, 2014 13:11 EDT. Rick Santorum Defends Mike Huckabee's Rant About The 'War On Women'
Santorum: National Health Care Means Voter Genocide. Rick Santorum compares Obamacare to apartheid. Rick Santorum appeared on the “The O’Reilly Factor” on Thursday night and “honored” the legacy of Nelson Mandela by comparing Obamacare to apartheid. “Nelson Mandela stood up against a great injustice and was willing to pay a huge price for that, and that’s the reason he is mourned today, because of that struggle that he performed,” Santorum said. “And I would make the argument that we have a great injustice going on right now in this country with an ever increasing size of government that is taking over and controlling people’s lives, and Obamacare is front and center in that.”

Santorum equated the institutional and systemic segregation and political and economic marginalization of black South Africans to expanded access to affordable healthcare after host Bill O’Reilly finished calling Mandela a Communist.
Rick Santorum: Nelson Mandela Fought 'Great Injustice,' Just Like Republicans Are Battling Obamacare. During an appearance on Fox News Thursday night, former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pa.) discussed the death of Nelson Mandela, saying the former South African president fought "great injustice" just like Republicans who are battling Obamacare.

Santorum: Denying Women Contraception Coverage Is a First Amendment Right for Corporations. Santorum: Term “middle class” is “Marxism talk”
Santorum: Liberals 'Make It Uncomfortable' to Shower at the YMCA. Rick Santorum: Gay Marriage Discourages Straight Marriage. Rick Santorum: It Would Be 'Suicidal' For GOP To Embrace Gay Marriage. Susie Sampson: Guess Who Santorum Blames For Gay Marriage. Rick Santorum: Boy Scouts Shouldn't Allow Gays. Former presidential candidate Rick Santorum has long spoken out against gay rights, a moral standpoint he believes must apply to the Boy Scouts of America.

Santorum came out with a statement after the Boy Scouts of America executive board announced it would reconsider the controversial national ban on gay membership it agreed upon seven months ago, according to CBS News. “[W]hen I saw that the Boy Scouts of America executive board is convening on Wednesday to discuss abandoning the organization’s founding moral principles that nurture boys into men, I was saddened, but not surprised,” he stated in a column Monday on the conservative site WorldNetDaily. Santorum said he believes the Boy Scouts are reconsidering its stance due to pressure from popular culture and "the intolerant liberal mind.
"
Rick Santorum: The U.N. Might Decide To Let My Child Die. Rick Santorum now a columnist at birther website World Net Daily.